Quidditch and Stuff
by UnspokenPride
Summary: After losing the game to Hufflepuff during his last year in school, Oliver Wood finds that quidditch is just one of the many problems he's been facing. Cedric Diggory isn't helping any either. Slash Warning.
1. Fair and Square

Quidditch and Stuff.  
  
Setting: After the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff quidditch match in Book three.   
  
"Damnit!" Oliver Wood hit the wall hard with his fist, leaning his head forward against it as the warm water washed down his back now. This was his last chance to win the cup and prove his worth as the team's captain, but he'd failed them. Of course his first instinct was to blame Harry, but he just couldn't. Wood blamed only himself now.  
  
Turning the fosit slowly, the final bits of water streamed down every curve of his body before he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Stepping out slowly, he was greeted by a surprising face.  
  
"Oh, Oliver… listen, we can go talk to someone about a rematch. Please, I don't want to win like this…" Cedric spoke slowly, his words seeming quite sincere. Just the fact that he used Wood's first name showed his deep sincerity, but the other male just shook his head and looked to the floor.  
  
"I already told you Diggory. You won fair and square. There will be no rematch. If you want to help, why don't you go up and see Harry? If you can even get near him that is. The whole team's already up there," Oliver responded with an obvious edge to his voice as he headed for his locker now.   
  
"You're so damn stubborn. Harry'll be fine. I asked before coming here. You, on the other hand, are a complete wreck. I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself!" Cedric spoke loudly.  
  
It suddenly it a nerve in Oliver and he grabbed the Hufflepuff captain by the collar and pushed him up against the locker. "I don't need your pity, Cedric. Go tell all those giggling girls about your valiant win over Gryffindor! Tell them how you smashed your opponent single handedly!"  
  
Cedric just glared at him as he spoke, finally pushing the older student off him. "You don't know what you're talking about! I'm not Flint. I respect you Oliver. That's why I came here. I thought this would make you happy," he explained.  
  
"You want to make me happy? Then just leave me alone. I don't need a hand out from a Hufflepuff pretty boy," Wood began, still glaring at the captain.  
  
"Fine, Wood. And to think I was excited to play against the great Oliver Wood I'd heard so much about. Now that I see you like this, you're just pathetic," Cedric spoke cruelly, much unlike his usual calm and collected voice, slamming the door behind him as he left the locker room.  
  
Oliver just stood there for a moment, filled with both anger and self hatred. Cedric really was trying to help, but he was much too proud to accept the other boy's offer. Unfortunately the game was just the tip of the iceberg as far as Wood's problems were concerned. He wasn't even sure who he was anymore. Quidditch was his life, but it was also his veil from any other feelings he had. Wrong feelings…   
  
Quickly getting dressed, he'd head back to the common room slowly, pondering several things along the way. Quidditch, Harry's condition, the dementors, and Cedric Diggory. He was definitely light on the eyes. And there were those wrong thoughts again. He'd block them out with strategies for the next game.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Well, that's the first part. Feedback is greatly appreciated, and hopefully I'll get the next bit up asap. 


	2. Focus On the Game

Quidditch and Stuff  
  
Part Two  
  
Barely touching the meal in front of himself at dinner, Oliver just starred down at the table as his teammates tried to comfort him.   
  
"Come on Wood. We're still in the game. There's a margin of one hundred points either way, but through several combinations we can still come out on top," Fred explained with that dopey smile on his face.  
  
"Exactly. All it takes is a little luck," George continued, patting their captain on the back a few times before taking a seat at the Gryffindor table.  
  
Their words did little to help him, but he was glad that he had such a caring team. That was what made them better than the Slytherin team afterall. Oliver would glance over toward Katie, who had been silent the whole time, appearing to be almost in a dazed-like state as she starred across the Great Hall. Of course when Wood saw the source of interest, he immediately became frustrated.  
  
"If you would have spent more time scoring goals than watching Diggory at the game, maybe we would have scored a few more goals," Wood spoke annoyingly.  
  
Katie just huffed and stood up, glaring down to Oliver now. "Well maybe I would have done better if you hadn't been criticizing everything we did all that day. I did the very best I could do in those conditions, so get off your high horse," she spoke declaratively and headed off out of the area.  
  
"Girls…" Fred and George both chimed in, standing up almost in unison now. "Well, we're heading back to the common room. Fred here came up with a brilliant idea to make a fool out of Snape," George spoke. "As if Nevile hadn't already taken care of that," the other twin replied and they both walked off chuckling.  
  
Oliver could only sit there as more and more people got up to leave. He really had nowhere to go. After awhile, he'd look up from the rather unappetizing meal to glance aimlessly around the room. The first thing that caught his attention was the form of Cedric Diggory chatting with another Hufflepuff boy with two girls on either side of him listening intently. "Disgusting," he muttered to himself, not really referring to any one thing. Just the day he was having in general.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, Wood found himself sitting out on the Quidditch Pitch, knowing full well that he wasn't supposed to be out now. Still, everything always seemed much simpler out on the field. The world just kind of all made sense. It made him feel as if he was actually worth something.  
  
"Finally… some peace," Oliver muttered, closing his eyes after a moment and just sitting back.   
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought the first time I came out here too," spoke a familiar voice that Wood recognized at once.  
  
"Can't take a hint, can you Diggory?" Wood responded, still keeping his eyes closed, but he would squint to see Cedric sitting down next to him.  
  
"Guess not. Would you rather be left alone?" Cedric asked with a smirk on his face, well aware of what the other captain had told him the previous day.  
  
"It's not my field. Do whatever you want," Oliver responded, finally opening his eyes to the darkening sky around them.  
  
"Well, alright then," he had begun to stand up, but the surprising words brought him back to a sitting position.  
  
A slightly awkward silence fell between them now, but it was Wood that spoke first.  
  
"…I was, excited to play you too," he spoke quietly in barely more than a whisper. That was his way of apologizing anyway, and if Cedric expected more, he was barking up the wrong tree. "Terrified, but excited."  
  
Surprised yet again at the sudden outburst, Diggory chose his words carefully before responding. "Yeah, horrible luck that Slytherin pulled out at the last minute. Heard your focus was set on beating them, and we all know they play a bit more… offensive than any of us," Cedric chuckled a bit.  
  
Wood smiled at first too, but quickly found some way to make it sound offensive. "What?! Are you saying we couldn't have beaten you?! I'll have you know that if Harry hadn't…" he began, but was quickly cut off.  
  
"Oh, shut it. This is your problem. You can't handle someone trying to be nice," Diggory replied with an edge to his voice.  
  
"Yeah, well…" Wood quickly searched for the right comeback, but nothing was coming. "So what? What gives you the right to be nice to me anyway? You're my opponent."  
  
"Well, you haven't really given me a reason to be mean to you," Cedric replied, slowly moving to his feet now. "Plus you're much better company than Davies, and don't even get me started on Flint."   
  
"I swear, Diggory," Oliver stood up as well now, "you make absolutely no sense to me. First you come out here and bash me on my quidditch skills, and now you're full of compliments." He spat.  
  
"First off, I never 'bashed' on the way you played quidditch. And secondly, the reason you don't understand me is because all you do understand is quidditch," Diggory spoke with a glare. "As such, we'll end it here and now. You'll play keeper for two rounds, and then we'll switch. After that, we'll both go for the snitch. In the end, if I win, Hufflepuff won the game. If you win, we call for a replay of the game. Deal?" the Hufflepuff finally asked, annoyed at Wood's unwillingness now.  
  
"Fine! You're on," Oliver spoke, raising up his wand now. "Accio broom!" It didn't take long for the broom to come zooming toward them, and Cedric was doing the same soon enough.  
  
Of course, they didn't have a whole lot of time. The last thing they needed were dementors all over the field again. So it would be a short.  
  
In the end, the score was two two, and Cedric obviously had the advantage in the next bit. Still, Wood tried his best to seek out the small golden winged ball, but it just didn't appear to be anywhere in sight. Only about two minutes into the searching, they heard an all too familiar voice calling from the ground below.  
  
"Wood! Diggory! Get down here this instance!" McGonagall spoke in a fierce rage, and of course they had to comply.  
  
"Professor, we were just practicing…" Cedric began, and Oliver chimed in soon.  
  
"I don't care what you were doing. Both of you to your dormitories right now, and note that 20 points will be taken from each of your houses.   
  
In reality, twenty points wasn't bad considering the circumstances. Professor McGonagall had always been fond of quid ditch though, and if they said they were practicing, she would take their word for it. Slowly, they began marching back toward the castle, refusing to look at one another.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Bit of a rushed ending there. Sorry about that. I hope to continue soon! 


	3. What Else Is There?

Wood continued to sip at a mug of butterbeer infront of himself as his gaze soared over a moving diagram. It displayed, what he hoped would be, the outcome of the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw game that was coming up quite fast now. The sound of a voice suddenly broke his concentration and the mug fell from his hand with a thud. Oliver's eyes widened as the contents of the mug spilled out onto the piece of parchment, and he hurridly tried to clean it up before the ink retreated.   
  
"Terribly bad luck there Wood," spoke a smooth soothing voice that could only be accompanied by a face like that of Roger Davies.   
  
"Bloody hell Davies!" Oliver yelled, still cleaning up the liquid, "What do you want?!"  
  
"Calm down there. I was just wondering if the rumors were true about... Well, you know." Something seemed to flash in the teenager's eyes as he spoke. Almost as if a look of fear had taken him, or perhaps it was anticipation. "The Firebolt?"  
  
Wood's mood seemed to change completely as he heard those words. Before he could respond, a girl came up and put an arm around the Ravenclaw captain's waist.   
  
"Well Davies, I suppose you'll have to wait and see." he spoke with confidance, watching Roger's expression transform into an angry scowl as he walked off without another word.  
  
When even Madam Rosmerta began to feel sorry for him, Oliver decided it was time to leave. He continued through Hogsmeade aimlessly, suddenly coming to a hault infront of Madam Puddifoot's with a raised brow. Looking in through the window, anger suddenly struck him hard. There was Cedric Diggory sitting at a round table with a Hufflepuff girl of whom he couldn't remember the name of. Diggory was sitting there with a polite smile on his face as he let the girl on the other side of the table do most of the talking.   
  
As much as he tried to pry himself away from the window, something seemed to be holding him there. The confused seventeen year old watched as the un-named girl leaned across the table and kissed Cedric. The Hufflepuff boy seemed surprised at first, but Oliver watched as his eyelids fell and he began kissing back until they finally broke off with smiles. Falling back against the wall next to the window, Wood put his fist down hard on the wall behind himself. Was he the only one without a girlfriend these days? The concept had never really appealed to him all that much, but watching Diggory kiss a girl had an odd effect on him.  
  
Suddenly the door openned and outcame the seemingly happy couple. Oliver just stood there plastured against the wall as the two departed ways. When Cedric's back was to him, Wood decided it was the best time to make his escape. He slowly turned away and began walking off hurridly until a voice called out to him.  
  
"Wood!" Diggory called out, running up next to him now.   
  
"I'm kind of in a hurry Diggory," he spoke with an edge to his voice, not even turning to look at the handsome boy.  
  
"This'll only take a minute. First off, I have something that belongs to you somewhere," Cedric responded, digging through is pocket for something. Eventually he pulled out a small golden ball that Oliver reconized at once as a snitch. "I went back and got it that night. Knew you'd probably want it back."  
  
"Yeah, well..." Oliver studdered, taking the small ball and putting it away. "Like I said, I'm in a hurry..."  
  
"Listen... you wanna go get a butterbeer or something sometime?" Diggory suddenly bursted out, looking toward the ground as he spoke.  
  
"What?" the completely dumbfounded Gryffindor asked.  
  
"Well, I mean. I'd be interested to hear your strategies for the upcoming game. Or just talk about quidditch in general... Nevermind, stupid idea." His head dropped again and Cedric began to walk off.  
  
"It's not that. It's just that I think I've had my share of butterbeer for the day," Oliver smiled slightly, catching up with the Hufflepuff boy whose glow had seemed to return at that comment.  
  
"I thought you were in a hurry?" Cedric asked, turning back toward Wood.  
  
"Well, I was planning on finding somewhere where I could get a new snitch. Guess I don't really have to worry about that now," Wood spoke, surprised at his own words.  
  
After about an hour of walking through several shops and discussing Hogwarts and International quidditch teams, the two decided it was probably best to start heading back toward the entrance.   
  
"I've always wanted to play for Puddlemore United," Oliver admitted, glancing over to the younger male who he'd been talking with for awhile now. "I hear they're even recruiting."  
  
"I really haven't thought that far ahead yet," Cedric spoke, putting his hands behind his head as they arrived at the entrance of Hogsmeade village among many others. "Everyone keeps saying I can do all these great things, but I don't even know myself what I want to do."  
  
"Don't you want to play on an international team?" Wood asked, surprised at Cedric's response.   
  
"Maybe. Dunno. Life's not all about quidditch, ya know?" Diggory grinned, lagging behind the rest of the group that was now heading back toward the castle.  
  
"Well I know that... It's just all I have I guess. It is the one thing I can be certain about in my life. Is that wrong?" Oliver asked sincerely, having never really thought about it until now.  
  
"Of course it isn't. I really admire that you know what you want to do with your life."  
  
Heading into the Entrance Hall, they just stood there for a moment as most of the students began heading back toward their common rooms.  
  
"Well, um, thanks. It's nice to talk to someone else about quidditch that really knows what they're talking about," Oliver chuckled slightly out of sudden nervousness.   
  
"If you ever want to--" Cedric began, suddenly interupted by a feminine sounding voice.  
  
"There you are!" that familiar girl from Madam Puddifoot's suddenly ran up and leaned her head against Cedric's shoulder with a smile, looking toward Oliver now with a perplexed look. "Hey, you're Oliver Wood, right?"  
  
Just starring at her as she walked up, it took the Gryffindor captain a moment to respond. "Um, yeah."  
  
"You know I have a friend that has been dying to talk to you. She's really pretty if you'd be interested in a date..." the girl spoke, still smiling toward him until Cedric interupted this time.  
  
"I'm sure he doesn't want--" Before Diggory could finish the sentence, Oliver suddenly cut him off.  
  
"I'd love to," Wood responded, surprising himself and by the look on his face, Cedric as well. He wasn't entirely sure what had come over him, but it was the result of seeing Cedric with that girl again. The surprised Hufflepuff male could only responde with an "Oh."  
  
"Great! I'll let you know when she's free. Boy is she going to be happy to hear this. Come on Cedric!" she spoke, taking Diggory's hand. Cedric, who seemed to have a hurt look on his face, did his best to smile as he was dragged off toward a staircase leading down to the Hufflepuff Common Room.  
  
Oliver just stood there for a moment, trying to take in the events of what had just happened. What on earth had possessed him to agree to such a thing? Especially with a girl he hadn't even met yet. Of course the answer was obvious, but Wood just wasn't ready to admit it yet. Not with the big game with Ravenclaw just days away. 


	4. No Preparing For That

After a quidditch practice that extended well into dinner, Wood finally found a seat at the Gryffindor table between Percy Weasley and Angelina Johnson. Both of whom seemed to be amused with their own conversations by now. It had been a good ten minutes after he let the team go that he himself had finally decided to head in to get some food. Just watching Harry on the Firebolt gave him hope that they could actually win the Quidditch Cup this year.   
  
Looking up from a cracker he was nibbling on, Oliver suddenly turned his attention to the Hufflepuff table to make out the handsome features of Cedric Diggory. He really was nice to look at. A relief from flying quafles and bludgers anyway. But then of course there was the girl across from him that he had learned was named Sarah something or other. He'd been told that he was supposed to meet up with the girl's friend at the next Hogsmeade visit.   
  
Dinner ended soon enough, and Wood made way toward the grand staircase. The big game was tomorrow, and he could think of nothing else. Well, almost nothing. Just as he was about to step onto one of the staircases when it arrived at his feet, a voice called out behind him.  
  
"Hey Wood, wait up!" Cedric called out, jogging up next to him.  
  
"Diggory, you can't keep coming out of nowhere like this," Oliver smiled over to him, watching the staircase move with a sigh.   
  
"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to wish you luck tomorrow," Cedric declared, sending that charming smile back toward the gryffindor.  
  
"Thanks, it should be an interesting game. You should have seen Davies when he found out Harry had a Firebolt. The look on his face was priceless," he chuckled. "So," Oliver glanced around for a moment. "Where's... what's-her-name?"  
  
"Sarah? She had to go do a little research at the library for a paper," Cedric spoke, watching the stairces now with interest. "Listen, it's not too late if you want to get out of this stupid blind date she has planned."  
  
"Why?" Oliver asked with a confused expression, "She's not some lunatic, is she?"  
  
"No, no. I just didn't think you'd be into... going on a date right now," Cedric responded hesitantly.  
  
"What are you trying to say Diggory?" Wood turned to the Hufflepuff male with a suspicious look on his face.  
  
"Nothing! Let's just drop it." Cedric spoke, moving onto the staircase as it came now.  
  
The now furious Gryffindor wouldn't take that for an answer. Grabbing Cedric by the arm, he pulled him off the staircase and pushed him back into a nearby wall. Using a very little percentage of his mind at this point, Wood pulled out his wand and held it to the other boy's throat.   
  
"No, you're going to tell me what you were implying!" Oliver roared, noticing a few first years running off hurridly at the sight.   
  
"I'm not telling you anything until you get that thing away from me!" Cedric roared back with equal force in his voice.  
  
Slowly Wood dropped the wand to his side, tucking it back into his pocket.  
  
"I just meant that I haven't seen you with anyone lately and I figured you'd find someone on your own time if you wanted to be dating someone. It was stupid of Sarah to get involved in the whole thing," Cedric spoke, standing up straight and trying to compose himself.  
  
"I'm going up to my dormitory," Oliver said blankly, his frustration slowly dying down.  
  
"Let me walk with you," Cedric said with a pleading look in his eyes as they both stepped onto the staircase that suddenly began shifting upward.  
  
"Why?" he asked point blank.  
  
"Because I want to. I like spending time with you," Cedric admitted.   
  
"Standing on a bunch of moving staircases hardly counts as spending time together," Wood spoke with an edge to his voice.  
  
"Well maybe I want to spend more time with you. Maybe I had fun that day in Hogsmeade, and just maybe you did too."   
  
"You have no clue how crazy you're sounding, do you? Go back to your girlfriend Diggory," Oliver spoke, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Shut up," Cedric ordered.  
  
"What did you--"   
  
Before he even knew what was happening, Cedric's lips were against his own. So confused at everything that was happening, Oliver's head suddenly tilted to the side away from the embrace of Cedric's soft lips. He turned away toward the railing and starred down below, not really sure what to say.  
  
"I can't," he finally blurted out as the staircase approached the sixth floor.  
  
Feeling a comforting hans resting on one his shoulders, Oliver just continued starring down.  
  
"I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking. You don't want this...?" Cedric asked, hurt by Oliver's actions that he was still trying to understand. The Gryffindor broke away from the firm grasp as the staircase came to a hault at the seventh floor and he walked off.   
  
"I don't know what I want Cedric. I have a big game tomorrow, and I don't have time for your sick little fantasies. I thought being your friend was enough," Oliver blurted out, his back to the Hufflepuff boy who remained completely silent as the staircase began the process back down.   
  
Moving into the Gryffindor Common Room past anyone that tried to confront him, Wood continued up the stairs to his dormitory. Moving to his bed, he sat down and pulled the curtain shut. Oliver buried his head in his hands and tried to clear his mind of everything that had just happened. It wasn't until he finally sat up straight and removed his hands that he realized that tears were streaming steadily down his face. 


	5. Remember that Feeling

As you can see, I've been a bit inspired lately. Sorry it's taken so long to get the next few parts up.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Like usual, Oliver thought of nothing else but Quidditch the day of the big game against Ravenclaw. After a rather drawn out pep-talk, he lead the team to a victory that not only won them the game, but the Quidditch Cup as well. It was the happiest day of his life, and for that brief moment in time, he thought of nothing else but quidditch and how he had lead his team to victory. It was the best feeling in the world, but then, all good things must come to an end.  
  
After a night of heavy partying in the Gryffindor Common Room, Oliver found himself drifting off to sleep in his bed. Being that his previous dreams had just become a reality that day, his mind was left to wander for something else to focus on. Instead he found himself in a place that he couldn't quite make out the location of. Standing there infront of him was none other than the boy he had almost had a moment with. Lips were suddenly against his own again, and he realized the bronzed figure of Cedric Diggory was in nothing but a pair of boxers with little snitches across the front.   
  
After a moment, the dream projection of Cedric pushed him back onto a bed that had seemed to appear out of thin air. Before he knew what was happening, the Hufflepuff seeker was ontop of him, tracing kisses across every inch of flesh he could find on Oliver's body. Just as those full lips were about to move over Oliver's raging length, the Dream Cedric suddenly moved off the bed and waved to Oliver before flying off into the sky on a Firebolt.  
  
Before he could even begin to complain at the sudden loss of attention, someone was shaking him awake.  
  
"Come on Oliver. You've been sleeping in for the good part of the day now," spoke a familiar voice of whom Wood reconized at once.   
  
"Percy, don't you have some important Head Boy duty to attend to?" Oliver asked with a small moan, bringing a pillow up infront of his face. Now was the hard part. Having to admit that what he saw was just a dream, and whether or not it was what he really wanted or just a silly half-hearted fantasy.   
  
"Making sure students don't waste their days sleeping qualifies as said duties," Percy sighed, raising a brow at the rather large tenting of Wood's boxers. "Eh, must've been a good dream."  
  
"...Wha?" Not completely sure how Percy knew he had been dreaming, Oliver slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking to where the Weasley had been starring. In embarrassment, he reached for the pillow and put it over the area as his face glowed red. Percy just rolled his eyes and was soon off down the staircase.  
  
With a sigh, Wood reached over and oppened up his chest to pull out his clothes for the day. Standing infront of a mirror in the center of the room, he slowly began to undress and just stand there for a minute. The obvious erection didn't appear to be going away anytime soon, but it was going to have to. Slipping into the a t-shirt with the Gryffindor logo on it and a pair of loose fitting jeans, Oliver grabbed a book and held it with both hands infront of his groin as he walked down to the common room.   
  
The Weasley twins were the first to intercept him as he headed toward the exit, rambling on about their victory as if it had just happened. Oliver did his best to contribute to the conversation until George suddenly reached for the book in his hand to read the cover. Of course this prompted Fred to chuckle at what was under the book.  
  
"Hey look George, Wood's got a woody," they both suddenly started chuckling in unison. Oliver simply took the book back and headed out into the hall, praying that it would die down soon.   
  
"Sorry Oliver. I mean we all get them. Who were you thinkin about?" Fred asked curiously.  
  
"I bet it was that seeker on the Ravenclaw team. She's a piece of work," George commented before giving Oliver a chance to respond.  
  
"Will you two please shut up about it?" He pleaded, not wanting anyone to hear as they continued through the halls.  
  
"Fine fine. Well, we have to be off. We're testing out a new prototype on a few unsuspecting first years," Fred spoke for the both of them, suddenly walking off with his brother away from the embarassed Oliver Wood.  
  
Walking down to the Great Hall, the tired Gryffindor found a seat and put his head down on the table with a yawn. There were no classes that day and they'd stopped serving breakfast apparently. Oh well, he wasn't particularly hungry anyway. Fortunately that little, or should I say big, problem had indeed died down, but he was still in deep thought as he analyzed both the dream and the kiss.   
  
Tilting his head to the side, Oliver looked out across the tables again for something of interest. As if having a moment of Dejavu, Wood watched as the fairly pretty Hufflepuff girl walked over and planted a small kiss onto Cedric's lips. Wood couldn't comprehend how Cedric could kiss her and him as if they were the same person. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to him. Then again, not a whole lot did outside of quidditch.  
  
Putting his head back down, the Gryffindor just tried to focus on that feeling from the previous day. There was no Cedric Diggory or school work, it was just him standing there holding the Quidditch cup with his team around him. It was the happiest memory he had now.  
  
"I suppose you feel extremely proud of yourself now, eh Wood?" spoke a cold shrill voice from behind him. "If it weren't for that new little toy your seeker got, you wouldn't have standed a chance." Marcus Flint scowled as a few other Slytherins chuckled behind himself.  
  
"I find it funny, Flint," Oliver lifted his head slightly and looked back toward Marcus, "that you're team all had the best brooms in the game last year, and you still managed to lose to us."  
  
"Why you little piece of scum..." Flint began, taking ahold of Oliver and throwing him to the floor. Holding his wand out, he was just about to mutter something when a wand pointing straight at his head caught his attention.  
  
"Back off Flint," Cedric spoke firmly, not budging from his position. "Or I'll make that face of yours even uglier. If such a feet is possible."  
  
By this point in time, the two stooges behind Flint both had their wands out and pointed at Cedric, but Marcus dismissed them and walked off scowling. Cedric wasn't known for making false threats. All this time, Oliver just watched with a glare, finally pulling himself to his feet without the help of the outstretched hand from Diggory.  
  
"Are you ok?" Cedric asked in that sincere caring tone that was much different from the one he was using on Marcus.  
  
"I've been better. What the hell do you think you're doing barging in like that? I was planning on distracting the idiot then sending him and his friends flying acrosst he room," Wood grinned at the thought, dusting himself off now.  
  
"Well, I thought you needed some help. Plus a little stunt like the one you're talking about probably would have gotten you detention for a week," Cedric added.  
  
"Well you thought wrong. Now I'm going outside for some fresh air," Oliver spoke stubbornly, heading for the entrance hall.  
  
"I want to talk to you about something," Diggory began.  
  
"I'm listening," Wood responded.  
  
"First off, congradulations on the win and everything. I saw the game. You guys were great out there..."  
  
"Thanks, I guess," Oliver headed through the larges doors and down a long hall toward the grounds.  
  
"And... I wanted to talk about, what happened..." Cedric began cautiously.  
  
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you should explain it to me Diggory," Oliver replied.  
  
"Don't act stupid. Would it kill you to at least talk to me about it?" Cedric asked with a frustrated tone, stopping in his tracks now.  
  
"No," Oliver began, turning to face the Hufflepuff boy now before glancing around to make sure no one was around. "What kills me is watching you with her day after day. You two with your kissy faces and holding hands, and then you decide, hey, I need a little excitement in my life. Why not play with my opponents already fragile mind for a bit?" He roared, followed by an awkward silence between both of them.  
  
"Is that what you think?" Cedric asked, still trying to comprehend all that he was saying.  
  
"Well what the fuck else am I supposed to think Cedric?" He asked, trying to calm down a bit as they approached the lake.  
  
"I guess that's what I've lead you to think. But it isn't how I feel. I can't explain it," Cedric spoke, looking down to the ground.  
  
"Well why don't you give it a try," Oliver responded, still using that cold tone.  
  
"I thought at first that I just wanted to be your friend... everyone I talked to kept saying about what a great quidditch player you were and how you could go on to do great things. I thought maybe if you were so confidant about what you wanted to do with your life, you could help me figure it out as well," Cedric explained. "But then I realized, you're not as confidant as you pretend to be. And I figured we could find ourselves together..."  
  
"You're so full of it. And when, in all of this little story, did you decide that you wanted to kiss me and make me feel like shit watching you do the same thing to another girl?" Oliver asked, kicking a rock into the lake.  
  
"I didn't... I didn't plan on it. You were just there, and everytime I tried to get closer to you, you just pulled away from me, so I did the only thing I knew to do then. It didn't even occur to me that I really had those feelings until that moment," he responded, his voice almost a whisper now.  
  
"Do you love her?" Oliver asked, leaning back against a nearby tree.  
  
"Look, Sarah's my friend. The whole kissing thing was her idea from the start..." Cedric explained, taking a few steps toward Oliver.  
  
"Yeah well, I don't see you pulling away or anything," Wood responded, looking toward the ground.  
  
"Look, you're the only one I want to kiss," Cedric spoke.  
  
Before he could think it over, Oliver reached over and put his hand onto the back of Cedric's head, pulling him in for a deep kiss. His tongue darted out only to be meeted with the other boy as they continued the passionate lip lock until both were out of breathe.   
  
"I don't care if you kiss her," Oliver spoke after a moment, still trying to catch his breathe. "Just don't seem like you enjoy it so much, alright?"   
  
"Done deal," Cedric smiled, leaning his forehead against the older boy's.  
  
He knew he couldn't force Cedric to just be with him, but just the thought still hurt. Besides, as far as he was concerned, they were still just friends. His friend just happened to be quite a good kisser.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
As always, feedback is greately appreciated! 


End file.
